Where the Action Lab Is!An interview with Vito Delsante and Scott Fogg
Action Lab Entertainment has been around for five years, but in that time, not one story was told about the company mascot, the jetpack wearing canine. Now, the wait is over as writers Vito Delsante and Scott Fogg team to tell the tail of this rescue lab! One part Rin Tin Tin, one part MacGyver, one part James Bond, find out why pooch Percy's a hero all can admire! Sequential Tart: For our readers who might be meeting you for the first time in this interview, please tell us a little about your secret origin as a comics fanboy and some of your works prior to Action Lab?
Vito Delsante: Oh jeez. Uh, hi! My name is Vito Delsante and I've been writing for 20 years (gee whiz!) and a pro for 13. I wrote Superman, Batman Adventures, Red Sonja's Savage Tales, Scooby Doo, X-Men Unlimited, but I'm probably most well-known for my creator owned comic, Stray, with Sean Izaakse. Scott Fogg: I've been reading comics for longer than I can remember. They, along with Disney's Robin Hood and the first Christopher Reeve Superman, are what I always credit with becoming a storyteller. I've written short films, feature films, web series, and plays. My first graphic novel, Phileas Reid Knows We Are Not Alone, will be out late spring / early summer. ST: What comic books were your favorite to collect when you were a young reader? Why? VD: I was always a Batman and Flash fan as a kid, due to their inclusion in Super Friends, but when I saw the X-Men on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, that's when I started to collect comics. SF: I grew up on Marvel books: Spider-Man, Darkhawk, Daredevil, and the X-Men. But Spider-Man was my favorite. He was, somehow, someone I could relate to and aspire to be. While "the ol' Parker luck" was something Peter often complained about, he very rarely failed. And everyone really seemed to like him. ST: How do you try to capture some of what you loved about those past comics when you are working on stories now? VD: I don't know that I try, at least not consciously. I think that the first person you write for is yourself. From there, you hope (and pray) that there is at least one other person like you in the fandom. The only thing I try to consciously do is make sure that if I'm writing an "action" comic, there is action somewhere in the comic. SF: Basically if it's fun to write, and fun to read (even only in script form), then I feel like I'm doing my job. If I ever become bored with it, then I know I'm doing something wrong and I start over. ST: Five years! Five years we've seen the company logo without knowing anything about that jetpack wearing doggie. Why did it take so long for the Action Lab to actually see the light of day in his own series? VD: I honestly don't know? I mean, I figured someone would have done it as soon as Hero Cats of Stellar City came out, but it didn't quite work out that way. It was honestly just as simple as me asking the publisher, "Why doesn't this book exist?" and him saying, "Ok, make it." SF: I always figured he had a story! You look at the characters that have appeared on Marvel and DC's logos and they've always been established characters. So when I saw him, I figured he must already have a story, I just hadn't read it yet. Turns out he did have a story, it just hadn't been written yet. ST: Who designed the logo for Action Lab? VD: Dave Dwonch, the President and Creative Director. SF: I concur. ST: I've always loved a good story featuring a canine. When I was younger I couldn't get enough of Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Pluto, Boomer, and Benji on television. In comic books I've always loved Ace the Bathound, Krypto the Superdog, and Lockjaw. Who are some of your favorite canines who played a role in how you envisioned the star of this series? VD: I don't want to speak for Scott, but I don't think we approached the book that way at all. I mean, there are some obvious influences that use the motif (things like Beasts of Burden, Pet Avengers, etc.), but I think we looked at this like … ok, Scott loves The Scarlet Pimpernel and I love the Soderbergh Ocean's 11 movies. So, we just used those as influences, a dash of Doc Savage (Dog Savage?) and just added dogs. SF: Mister Peabody & Sherman, Peanuts, All Dogs Go To Heaven, and Oliver & Company. When I forget I'm writing a book about dogs (which happens embarrassingly often), I go back to one of those. But yeah, like Vito said, the initial inspiration for Action Lab came from my lifelong love affair with The Scarlet Pimpernel. ST: Action Lab seems like one part Rin Tin Tin, one part MacGyver, and one part James Bond. When you make the movie, feel free to use that quote! But, seriously, your hero is very intriguing. When will you reveal more of the Action Lab's secret origin, because I bet it's a doozy! VD: Scott has it ALL planned out. I mean, we have this working notion that Percy (the titular Action Lab) has a secret and only two dogs know it: Stash and Sniffles (both of whom will be met in Issue Two). It's possible the other members of the Action Lab League (again, Issue Two) know bits and pieces, but no one knows the whole story like Stash and Sniffles. And what we're doing is ... we only ever thought we were doing three issues and that was it. We got bumped up to a bi-monthly ongoing, and when that happened, we started laying pieces out. We gave the mission (rescuing those in need of rescue), we know the origin of the backpack (it's bigger on the inside?), and we have a 20 issue plot that is, ostensibly, a complete story. We're basically writing this as if it were a season of television. SF: Spoilers! ST: What do you think it is that sets Action Lab apart from a lot of the other comic books on the racks? What does this series offer that's missing in today's comics environment?
VD: I couldn't say exactly, but I know our goal, as a team, and specifically Scott and me, we said, "We will not talk down to kids. We are going to make an all-ages story for the entire family, and we will not back down from talking about uncomfortable things." We've been universally praised for the line, "You are not defined by your scars," which was written by Scott. Imagine, then, what kind of book this would be if we just played it safe and saccharin? If we just talked to kids like they were idiots? No. Not this book. Other all-ages books think that "all-ages" means kids exclusively, and I will never subscribe to that kind of thinking. We, as a team, are going to challenge that convention, and I think that is what sets us apart. SF: Right. Kids understand that life isn't always fair. We don't have to tell them that. They feel that. So our book can address real issues, even real tragedy. But the tragedy is not the focus of our book, it's the background, the setting, the context. From there, we can tell a story about how you can overcome that darkness, escape that darkness, and then, in turn, help others. ST: I really liked the concept of a play on the term "rescue lab", with the rescues our hero is performing in these pages. When the stories could have been truly about anything and anywhere / anywhen. What made you want to have AL be a hero to his people, so to speak ... er ... bark? VD: Because you've only seen the first issue, you are only seeing one side of it. Like I said above, his mission is to rescue those in need of rescuing. That's not necessarily just dogs. SF: You start with helping those around you, those whose stories you know, those who have needs you can easily meet. Then you expand your circle. You start with your friends and family and then you look to your community. That's the growth the Action Lab League has seen and will continue to see. ST: I think it takes a very skilled writer to craft a story that blends both human and animal leads. What are the challenges of telling this kind of story? Did you treat all the characters equally? They all just seemed so natural in their interactions. VD: Well, there are two of us, and what I do, and this is something I think I learned from Greg Pak, when I asked him about how he and Fred Van Lente worked on Hercules... I rely on Scott's strength. Scott is new to comic writing, but he's a veteran storyteller. And furthermore, he's got a better handle on this type of all-ages storytelling than I do. I wanted to do Blacksad with dogs, originally. That's a far departure from what you see on the page now, and that's because of Scott's influence on me. I think what's funny is that Scott told me I've taught him a lot about (correct me if I'm wrong, Scott) the mechanics of comic script writing, and he's taught me a lot about telling stories for a wide audience. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. SF: Vito has taught me more than just the mechanics of writing for the comic book format. He's also shown me that it's okay to root your story in something dark, something serious. It's okay to be real. I don't really do dark. And so when Vito sent the script for the first three pages of issue 1, I was like, "Really? Can we do that? Do we want to do that?" And the answer is, of course you do. It's that darkness that gives silliness, the lightness, the daring-do a real sense of purpose. Without it, there would be no weight to the book. And I think that's kind of the answer: We rely on each other's strengths, which allows our book to be filled with comparisons and contrasts. Seeing how Clancy behaves in this world of talking and flying dogs is about to get really, really interesting -- and likewise for Percy. VD: It's that whole "comedy comes from tragedy" thing. ST: What were the biggest roadblocks you faced with finding the voice for some of your characters, especially when some of them speak in barks ...? VD: I can't speak for Scott here, but I didn't have a problem there. Percy is voiced by George Clooney in my head. SF: I think the biggest roadblock (if it can even be called that) was Percy's voice. When I began writing him, I imagined him being voiced by Douglas Sills, who played Percival Blakeney in the Scarlet Pimpernel Broadway musical. So I was writing him with this slightly flamboyant British accent, until Vito said that he was writing him with George Clooney in mind. We laughed and I adapted. Having that voice in your head as you write really helps you know how your character speaks. Like, once I realized that Clancy needed to be played by Marc Evan Jackson, the character became fully realized in my head and I knew exactly who he was and who he would become. VD: I mean to say Percy's voice is the voice of a hero. You can put any trappings on him that you like, and in this case, he's a dog. From there, when you take him seriously, and let him speak, you understand him a little better. Scott mentioned forgetting that they're dogs sometimes, and that happens to me sometimes, too. I'll say, "He points his hand", and then have to edit it to PAW and consider the limitations and / or benefits of the character being a dog. But his voice ... Have you ever seen those ASPCA commercials or the ones with Sarah McLachlan? Dogs have very emotive eyes, almost human. It's not hard to hear them speaking to us in our language. So, getting "into his voice" isn't all that difficult. I feel like I made this answer much more elaborate than it needed to be. ST: Is it true if you are arguing about story points, you both hash it out old school World Wrestling Federation style with Jamal Igle as the Referee? VD: Not true, unfortunately. Jamal isn't really involved in our creative process. We really just argue these things out before we take to the page and let our editor, Nicole D'Andria, take care of the fine tuning. SF: I have been told to say that what Vito just said is true. ST: OK, I'll just keep these pictures tucked away for a later date. When you are, perhaps, disagreeing about certain plot points, how do you diplomatically figure out what direction to take? VD: I'm not kidding. I usually just let Scott get his way. He just has a better grasp on it than I do. If there's something that I need to see, and have to argue for, I will, but by and large, I usually just defer. SF: The way we're writing this is, basically, Vito has his stories and I have mine. Vito's story might be issues 4-6 and mine might be 5-8. As he finishes an issue, he'll send it to me. I'll make notes, which is usually me asking questions for clarity and the occasional "oooh, what if we did this instead?" Vito will take those notes, throw them away, and we'll do things his way. Because he knows what story he's trying to tell and he doesn't need me telling him how to write. Remarkably, it happens the same way when it's my turn. I'll finish a script, Vito will make his notes, and I'll adjust where need be. It's been remarkably stress-free. VD: I don't throw them away! I will use them most of the time, but sometimes I see a long-term payoff that Scott doesn't see and then tell him, "I'm going to save this bit for a later story." When you're in the moment, it's hard to see the big picture, but I love seeding stories. ST: I really enjoyed the first issue and thought there were some shining moments there that made me want to see what happens next. Kudos. However, although I loved your animal characters, I despised most of the apathetic human characters. Why is it the majority of your two footed leads are kind of jerks? VD: Are they? I don't see it that way. Remember, we're telling this from a dog's point of view, so the story will be biased in that regard. But don't judge a person based on your initial meeting with them. Again, you're not defined by your scars. SF: Yeah, Clancy's a little bit of a jerk. When outlining the initial arc (oh things are about to get super nerdy up in here), Clancy was loosely based on the character of Chauvelin from The Scarlet Pimpernel who has just zero redeeming character traits. He's a jerky-jerkface. What I realized about him, though, is that he's not necessarily a bad guy, he's possibly a good guy who has a bad job. It's not even that bad of a job, it's just a job that puts him at odds with our hero. So I stopped basing him on Chauvelin and started thinking more of Javert from Les Miserables. I can't say which side of the coin Clancy is going to land on (spoilers!), but he will be challenged. His jerkiness will be challenged. VD: Without giving away the farm, don't judge him too harshly. And you will meet more human characters in upcoming issues. ST: I loved seeing the Neal Adams variant cover! What was it like having one of your creations brought to life by one of the Silver Age's most prolific artists? VD: Action Lab: Dog of Wonder isn't our creation, really. He's owned by the company. That said, it was pretty cool!
SF: THERE IS A NEAL ADAMS VARIANT COVER TO THE FIRST COMIC BOOK I EVER WROTE. THIS HAS SET THE BAR IMPOSSIBLY HIGH. ST: How valuable do you believe social media is to the success of an independent comic book series in this day and age? VD: I don't know, really. I mean, I have a pretty good social media / networking footprint, and I still struggle to see any true success for my books. SF: It's hard to measure. What is definitely very cool is that because of Twitter and Facebook, I've been able to see complete strangers' reaction to our book. People who I will probably never meet, people who I would never have crossed paths with, are finding our book and posting their excitement. That's been amazing. ST: What was it about Rosy Higgins and Ted Brandt that made them the ideal team to bring Action Lab to life? VD: Truth be told, they were "hired" to do the first three issues, but I think they are -- beyond being extremely professional -- they brought a certain vision to the book. The style is a little different than what they use for Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess, but it fits the book well. And they put more than "work for hire" into their three issues. Seriously, I'd clone them if I could, but we get a new artist in Issue Four; Reilly Leeds. One of the best things about Dog of Wonder is that we debuted a new writer to the industry (Scott) and now we get to debut a new artist (Reilly) and a new editor (Nicole D'Andria). SF:There's no one else I would want on the inaugural issues of this book. They set the tone so perfectly, so wonderfully. And they managed to do so based on the sometimes muddled scripts I would turn in. They're artists of seemingly unlimited ability and potential. Everything we turned in, they made better. They understood what we were trying to do and actually made it happen. If it was comedy, horror, action or quiet moments of dialog, they made those scenes sing. I'm really astounded by what they were able to pull off and I look forward to working with them again. ST: What other projects are you working on? VD: I've got Actionverse all month, the Action Lab creator-owned mini weekly mini-series that began April 13 (still available!). It's a true labor of love and a big risk on Action Lab Entertainment's part, so I hope people check it out. And then I'm taking some time to get Stray ready to come back in a big way, and hopefully gain some new readers in the process. And then, possibly, a new Kickstarter this summer for a project with Charlie McElvy and Carlos Cabaliero (if you follow me on Facebook, you will have caught hints already). SF: More Action Lab! I also have a graphic novel coming out, Phileas Reid Knows We Are Not Alone, which is about Phileas Reid and the three other unlikely heroes that must band together to prevent an alien invasion in 1963. You can check it out at www.phileasreid.com.
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